Is Sherlock Holmes a sociopath or an Asperger?
“I am a brain, Watson. The rest of me is mere appendix.”~Sherlock Holmes in Arthur Conan Doyle.
Holmes. Sherlock Holmes. The New York Times, Psychology Today have diagnosed him as being on the autism spectrum. But there are others who say that he is a sociopath, and indeed in Sherlock with Benedict Cumberbatch.
He is however said to be the fictional character most associated with the autistic diagnosis.
It is obviously impossible to diagnose a fictional character. We can do no psychometric testing, nor a psychological interview to confirm or rule out our hypothesis. That said, the fact that fans debate whether or not Holmes is ASD or not; or if Holmes is psychopathic or not, speaks to how the public perceives of what autism and sociopathy look like.
The challenge of deciding what his diagnosis is, is further confused by the numerous portrayals and shows and movies that have depicted him. For the sake of this answer, let us look at the original Holme that Doyle created.
Watson refers to Holmes as distant, callous, unknowable and inexplicable.
He appears oblivious to the rhythms and courtesies of normal social intercourse — he doesn’t converse so much as lecture. His interests and knowledge are deep but narrow. He is strangely “coldblooded,” and perhaps as a consequence, he is also alone in the world. He has no friends other than the extremely tolerant Watson; a brother, even stranger and more isolated than he, is his only family. Was Arthur Conan Doyle presenting some sort of genetically transmitted personality disorder or mental illness he’d observed, or was Sherlock Holmes merely an interesting character created from scratch?[1]
Doyle was a Prominently Trained Physician
It is relevant to know that Arthur Conan Doyle was trained as a physician at a prominent medical school. Like Holmes Doyle was adept at recognizing symptoms and is suspected to have recognized a number of diseases well before they were identified. His Holmes stories are filled with detailed and accurate descriptions of medical disorders. Some theorize that he may have recognized autism or perhaps autistic savants.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~SYMPTOMS~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTISTIC INTELLIGENCE
- Holmes has “fluid intelligence” — an ability to see the world from a very different perspective than most people, often by focusing on details overlooked by others.
DIAGNOSES (SUSPECTED)
DRUG USE
FAMILY MEMBER WITH POTENTIAL ASD
- His brother, is more distant and unique than he.
SLEEPING PROBLEMS
- While working, Holmes seems inexhaustible — not sleeping for days. Between cases, he sometimes falls into a state of deep lethargy.
SOCIAL DIFFERENCES
- Oblivious to the rhythms and courtesies of normal social intercourse — he doesn’t converse so much as lecture.
- He lacks emotionality.
- He lacks friends, other than Watson.
SPECIAL INTERESTS
- His interests and knowledge are deep but narrow.
- Holmes has extensive knowledge of odd subjects — like 140 different types of cigars, pipes and cigarette ashes.
WEAK THEORY OF MIND
- Holmes often seems oblivious to what others are thinking or feeling, even his dear Watson.
Footnotes
Originally published at www.quora.com.
